Meldreth Matters, July 2020

Meldreth COVID Quilt Art Project I have been deeply moved by the way the creative arts are helping people cope with their mental health during lock down. The beautiful music sung from the Italian balconies and the popularity of Grayson Perry’s Art Club and Kirsty Allsopp’s Keep Calm and Carry on Crafting on Channel 4 are all examples of how the arts can help uplift, distract and absorb us in times of crisis.

As a practising Art Therapist I can see how making art helps people with their mental health and wellbeing.

I wanted to be able to set up an arts based project for the people of Meldreth and I would like to invite anyone living here to submit a 20cm square picture with the theme of the pandemic. It can be drawn, painted, sewn or photographed and show anything that relates to this unprecedented time. Rainbows, empty streets, views from a lock down window or even stockpiled loo rolls, or pictures of models made with toilet roll tubes could be included. I will collate and collect the images digitally and make a village collage as a memory for us to look back on when things do finally change. It is not a competition and all images will be included. It is the process of making and sharing collectively with the community that is most important; you don’t need to be an artist to participate anybody can have a go, young and old.

If you could take a picture of your art work and send it to me via email by the end of July 2020 with your name and perhaps some information about your picture if you want to. I will ‘sew’ it together digitally to share with you all and when lock down is over I will aim to put the real images together for a lasting memorial for the village. We could possibly hold an exhibition in the Village Hall.

My email address is: l.pemberton2@btinternet.com.

I hope you enjoy the process of making your image and I am really looking forward to seeing what ideas you comes up with.

Lesley Pemberton 13